USCG Will Get Budget Increase

In order to ensure anti-terrorism coastal patrols, revive enforcement in needed areas, and maintain some of the extra patrols initiated post-September 11, the Coast Guard will receive a major budget increase of up to $1 billion, if approved by Congress. Of the $12 to $13 billion in extra Homeland Security spending that the President will propose on February 4, it is reported that the Coast Guard will be among the biggest recipients. The Coast Guard would receive an extra $900 million to $1 billion for 2002-2003, which amounts to about a 20 percent increase in its $5.2 billion annual budget. The proposed budget increase is the first part of a three-year plan, which also includes adding to the 36,000 active and 8,000 reserve personnel.